MLB Player News

Contreras is out of the lineup against the Cardinals on Thursday.

Contreras will get the day off Thursday after starting the past four games. In his place, David Ross will catch Jon Lester while batting eighth.

Maldonado is out of Thursday's lineup against the Braves.

He will get his second day off over the last three games, making way for Manny Pina, who is batting eighth Thursday. With Andrew Susac likely to join the Brewers at some point before the end of the season, Maldonado's run as the starting backstop could be short-lived.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

D'Arnaud has started four straight games behind the plate, but with an early contest scheduled Thursday, he'll take a seat in favor of Rene Rivera. A day off was likely in order regardless, as d'Arnaud is hitless in his last three games to bring his season average down to .228.

Hernandez got the start behind the plate Wednesday, and hit a go-ahead solo homer in the 12th inning that proved decisive for the D-Backs, who won 3-2.

Hernandez was recently called up for a temporary stint with Welington Castillo on paternity leave and Chris Herrmann on the DL, but proved to be the hero Wednesday. He will likely be sent back to the minors in the next couple days with Castillo returning, so don't go rushing to add the young catcher.

Stewart (knee) will start a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Friday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Stewart is expected to catch seven innings in the contest, his first game action since July 1. With Francisco Cervelli now healthy, it's unlikely the veteran backstop will see consistent playing time behind the dish. However, he should retake his role as the team's backup catcher.

Grandal went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Tuesday's win over the Phillies.

Grandal homered for the second straight contest, tying his career high in RBI with 49 on a two-run blast in the third inning. The slugging catcher has achieved that feat by driving in nine runs in his last seven games, so he's likely to top it substantially by season's end. Don't be surprised if his .236/.355/.492 line actually climbs down the stretch, as it's currently being held back by a career-low .257 BABIP.

Contreras homered, a solo shot, in a 1-for-3 game in Tuesday's win over the Angels.

After homering five times in his first 17 games, Contreras was dealing with a long cold stretch, as he was hitting just .237/.317/.301 in his past 25 games since his last home run. Despite the extended power outage, though, Contreras owns a sharp .265/.351/.444 batting line for the season, and his combination of power and discipline is rare for a veteran catcher, much less one as young as he is.

Maldonado is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Braves.

With Maldonado getting a maintenance day, Manny Pina will get the nod to start behind the dish Tuesday night. Maldonado's struggles at the plate have continued in recent contests, as he's gone just 3-for-20 with nine strikeouts over the last seven days.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with San Francisco, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

After seeing action in four consecutive games, Realmuto will start Tuesday on the bench as Jeff Mathis fills in behind the dish and bats seventh. Realmuto will resume an 11-game hit streak when he returns to the lineup.

Hernandez was recalled from Double-A Mobile on Tuesday.

Welington Castillo hit the Paternity Leave List on Tuesday, so Hernandez will come up to provide some insurance behind Tuffy Gosewisch with Chris Herrmann on the DL. Castillo isn't likely to miss more than a day or two, so Hernandez's stay with the big league club could be a short one.